


Untitled

by MollokoPlus



Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 14:52:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17143817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MollokoPlus/pseuds/MollokoPlus
Summary: He hadn’t decided yet how he was going to manage it, but one way or another, he was going to get his partners to Macy’s. And maybe FAO Schwartz, too.





	Untitled

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Somedeepmystery](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Somedeepmystery/gifts).



The cast had come off a couple of weeks ago, and so Waverly’s – UNCLE’s – medical team were now focused on restoring strength and toning to his arm. His shoulder was also well on its way to complete recovery, with weight and range of motion restrictions removed entirely. He fully expected to be released to full-duty status very soon, and that, he was certain, was a very good thing. “Light duty” had never appealed to him, although his employment with UNCLE had allowed him to keep busy with the electronics team in their development labs, where they – and he – were working to miniaturize various tools, including listening devices, tracking devices, and their own communicators for field use.

He had just received word that his partners had returned from a brief journey to The Netherlands, and would be in the office today. For now, though, he sat at his desk in their team office, sipping a cup of tea, squeezing a tennis ball, and reviewing a set of schematics. Gaby and Solo had been gone a week this time, and he’d found the quiet almost too much to bear, almost as intolerable as the nearly constant itching he’d endured while his arm was constrained in the cast.

Another cup of tea and an hour or so later, Gaby and Solo entered their shared office, with Waverly a step or two behind.

“Just a moment of your time before you get on with your reunion, chaps, please. We’ll be traveling to New York tomorrow morning. I’ve arranged accommodations for the three of you at the Algonquin, which I expect you to use as a base of operations while you look for more permanent accommodations as we transition to our New York offices.”

“New York? For Christmas?”

Waverly nodded.

“Sounds delightful, don’t you think, Gaby?”

“Yes, it sounds very nice. Illya?”

Truthfully, he felt awkward. He’d never celebrated Christmas; it wasn’t celebrated in Russia, and hadn’t been an important celebration even under the tsars. No, the important celebration in Russia, then and now, was New Year’s Day. And in his own life, there hadn’t been many of those of note, not since—

“Illya?”

“Yes. Yes, that sounds nice.” He hoped he sounded more enthusiastic than he felt. For Gaby’s sake, if nothing else.

“I’ll be staying elsewhere,” Waverly continued. “I’ll leave you to your reunion, and will see you tomorrow morning at the airport.” He handed each of them a packet and left the room.

***

“The signs were all changed yesterday, sir.”

Their tickets had been for Idlewild, but when they deplaned they learned they had landed at John F. Kennedy Airport. Of course they’d known of the events in Dallas last month, but this was still a surprise. Solo guided his partners out to the taxi rank once they’d collected their luggage and gone through Customs.

The big shocker, though, was yesterday, when they opened their packets to learn they would be traveling with cover identities, and all three of them with British passports. Their new – comparatively – jobs and Waverly himself continued to astonish them. And because of their covers, Gaby and Peril took one taxi, while Solo took another. Waverly had deplaned ahead of them, and was long since out of sight.

Neither Gaby nor Peril had said anything to him about their own covers – he hadn’t seen much more than raised eyebrows from either of them, although he thought he’d seen a small smile on Gaby. He found himself wishing they could ride in the same cab, so he could watch his partners’ reactions to New York in the scant week leading up to Christmas. Peril was probably appalled by the rampant capitalism and ostentatious displays. And while Gaby had spent much of her life in nominally atheist east Germany, she had, he knew, known Christmas in her childhood. But he also knew that no matter what name was hung on it and who did the hanging, it was still basically Christmas. He hadn’t decided yet how he was going to manage it, but one way or another, he was going to get his partners to Macy’s. And maybe FAO Schwartz, too.


End file.
